AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 217 



to the important one of wheat, and yet he has had but very little to 

 say upon the subject. 



It will be called up again at the meeting of July 1. 

 MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 



Judge Meigs, Secretary, read several interesting translations 

 and condensations of articles from French and English papers. 

 A paper called the Good Gardener has been published a century. 



The London Farmers' Magazine says that potatoes have not 

 been so plenty and cheap for twenty years as they are now. 

 Country potatoes (York,) are quoted at prices equal to an average 

 of 37i cents per bushel. The following are the prices of some 

 other vegetables in London : 



Pine apple per lb., $2 to $3; grapes, $3 to $5; Strawberries 

 per ounce, 18c. to 37c.; oranges per dozen, 25c.; potatoes per 

 bushel, 62c. to $1; lettuce per dozen heads, 12c. to 25c.; cabbage 

 per dozen heads, 12c. to 37c. 



There has been a great mortality among grubs and insects. 

 REAPING MACHINES. 



The Magazine says the machines tried at La Trappe last year 

 showed that all of the American machines were supeiior to those 

 of France or England, as well as that of McCormick, the prize 

 machine. 



It seems that no American plow was tried at the French exhi- 

 bition. A plow from Canada showed the lightest draft. 



France butchers 4,000,000 of animals, averaging about 250 

 lbs., England butchers 2,000,000, averaging 750 lbs. The pro- 

 portion of sheep and swine is not stated. 



The potato disease first showed itself in Belgium, and then in 

 Holland, France, England, &c., through all the countries where 

 the potato grows, affecting every variety. 



The Otaheitean Pineapple is one of the bfcst of fifty or more 

 varieties of this fruit. 



GUANO. 



A paper, prepared by Mr. Nash upon the guano trade was read. 

 There are at times 500 ships awaiting for loads of guano at the 

 Chincha Islands. The writer thinks the supply will be exhausted 

 in a few years. Twenty thousand tons are sometimes loaded in a 

 single day. There is not a drop of rain and but little dew at 

 the guano islands. The guano is now taken to every civilized 

 country in the world. It is estimated that the guano is two hun- 

 dred and fifty feet deep on a part of one of the islands, and is so 

 hard that it has to be broken up with picks. It is dug by 



